Walker is a great character and very human in his struggle to balance his career with his young family.
Murder happens on his doorstep at Christmas and the ensuing investigation has to focus on his friends and neighbours, leading to uncomfortable interviews, suspicions cast and desperate attempts to find alternative routes of enquiry.
Another fantastic book in this series.

A couple , he a serving policeman, with a young wife and small children are preparing for a perfect family Xmas together. Now living in a village completely different from a previous lifestyle and one which should have proven to be a safe haven. Yet again mimicking their previous experience, this joyful season is destroyed when a man dressed as a Santa Clause is found murdered. The village inhabitants are terrified; gossip and innuendo prevails , and the investigation racks up to a whole different level when the identity of not one but two victims emerge. A thoroughly enjoyable story of a detailed police investigation where nothing and no one can be assumed to be telling the truth or innocent. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Another festive season brings another murder to DCI James Walker and his team and this time it’s personal.

Friends and ex colleagues have been brutally murdered in Kirkby Abbey, the small, close knit town that DCI Walker also resides in. Can his team of officers find out who did it?

Once again another great read. As the fifth book in the series it’s good to see all the regular characters popping up again but with plenty of new additions to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed how the story played out but I will admit I did guess pretty early on who did it this time. I think I’ve read so many of this type of book now that I’m clearly just super suspicious of everyone.

Definitely a book and series I’d recommend.

No leí los libros anteriores y no fue necesario para comprender The killer in the cold.

Con cuatro crímenes consecutivos ocurridos en navidad, dudo que espere com ansías el siguiente año.

No me encantó como se manejo la investigación ya que la mayoría de los hallazgos se dieron porque la gente iba con la esposa de James, le contaban chismes y ella le llamaba a su esposo para decirle.


Yo juraba que el asesino era el primer sospechoso.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another in the James Walker detective thriller series. What a fantastic book so many red herrings definitely one to keep you on your toes! I would say it's an ideal book for anyone who loves to curl up with a good book. I don't want to give too much away but the killer is a surprise!
Many thanks netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book will be looking out for more in the series. Highly recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyed previous four books and this one was certainly a winner. Full of twists and turns with a few red herrings thrown in the mix. The killer was a complete surprise. A real page turner from start to finish. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

It kept ticking over nicely, It was great TV material with well-formed characters. Ideal fro those long dark nights ahead.

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without an Alex Pine’s DCI James Walker crime thriller!

The Killer in the Cold is the fifth book in Alex Pine’s Walker/Christmas series. You can dip into the books at any stage, I would say. I came to the series at Book three and picked up the background info - largely that DCI Walker has relocated to Cumbria with his wife Annie having worked for the Met Police in London. They moved for a change of pace and bring up their children in Cumbria.

In this instalment two retired police officers are found murdered over Christmas week in the picturesque Lake District village of Kirkby Abbey. The village is rocked to its core and DCI James Walker is under pressure to find the culprit quickly.

Like other Alex Pine books, it was pacy and there were some twists and turns and some red herrings.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Avon Books UK, for making this e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book 5 in this amazing series and I have enjoyed every single one. Plenty of twists as usual and wasn’t expecting the killer to be who it was. I also enjoy reading about Walkers personal life as well as the police procedural side. I can’t wait for the next book. A solid 4 stars

Book five in the D.I. James Walker series
It was a great read
Plenty of twists
Can’t wait for the next in this series
Thanks NetGalley

Found this as gripping as the first 4 in the series. I really did not expect the killer to be who it was, that was the last person I would have thought about. The twists in this book made it hard to put down.

Thank you Alex Pine, Avon and NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I’ve previously enjoyed the first 4 books in this series and the new book was just as good. A very easy to read, gripping story that kept me guessing throughout. It was nice to catch up with James and Annie again and also meet the new additions to the family. An engaging and enjoyable story that kept me entertained. I highly recommend reading this series in order to benefit from the experience of getting to know the characters and their development.

I have read all five now books in this series. I was really looking forward to reading this one but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed the other four but I found this one to be a bit too repetitive with the police procedures. I was also disappointed that James wife was always telling him how tired he must be and fussing over him when he got home from work, with two young kids to look after all day I would have expected some mention of how tired she must have been too. I did want to find out who the killer was so I did continue to read it all. I would still read another one in this series as I enjoyed all the others. A 3.5 for me.

Another great Christmas murder from Alex Pine, have read all his books and just gets better.
DCI James Walker is hoping to have a lovely Christmas at home with his young family when a dog walker finds a dead body dressed in a Santa's outfit and he is well known in the village, when they go to his house they find his wife murdered as well. Can Alex find out who murdered them and will there be more to come.
Love the balance between police procedure and his personal life, can`t wait for the next book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

This is #5 in the DCI James Walker series. It can easily be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the whole series.

DCI James Walker worked for the Met and lived in London with his wife, Annie, but she inherited the family home in the village of Kirkby Abbey so they decided to relocate. They now have a toddler daughter and a baby son.

For the first time since they moved to the village four years ago, James and Annie have managed to have a family Christmas Day, but it’s back to work on Boxing Day when a dog walker finds the body of Santa Claus. The village has a Santa parade on Christmas Eve so it looks as though the body has been there since then. Unfortunately, James and his team discover that the dead man was a retired police officer, known to all of them. The dead man’s wife was also a retired police officer but why hasn’t she reported her husband missing?

A brilliantly written, gripping read with lots of twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

It’s no exaggeration to say I am OBSESSED by this series. Would it even be Christmas without detective Walker shenanigans?
This book, like all the others is part of a series but also works perfectly as a standalone. DCI Walker has managed to spend Christmas with his family (for a change) by then on boxing day a body is found in his village and our journey begins. More bodies turn up, there’s a variety of suspects from the glaringly obvious to the obscure and where we end up is probably not where you’d expect.

The latest book in the detective James Walker Christmas crime series is another absolute cracker. I loved the storyline, the characters and the setting in the county of Cumbria. I read it over two days because I couldn't put it down. And there' a great ending that came as a real shock. Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of The Killer in the Cold.

A big thank you, to the Author, Publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of THE KILLER IN THE COLD in return for an honest review. All following review are my own honest opinions.

Based within a small village in Cumbria Detective Walker is getting ready to enjoy his first Christmas at home with this wife Annie and the couples two children. The first Christmas together without a crime taking place. This is shortly over once James (Detective) is called into work. The rest of the Christmas period has ended before it has even begun and DCI Walker has a double murder case to solve.

I thought this book was incredible, I didn’t realise that The Killer In The Cold is the fifth book in a series however, I have read this as a standalone and I still loved it. You do not have to read the series to understand the Characters as this book has some introductory pages of all the characters at the start of the book which described some of their background and who they were with a visible description - I feel all books in a series should have this! Especially if they could also be read as standalone books too. I for one will now read the rest if this series but I think I will be saving it until the winter!

There is a lot of speech which I usually do not like too much in books if I feel they could have gotten away without it. The Killer In The Cold however has got the perfect amount of speech between characters as it builds and offers a detailed insight into police investigations, the DCI was so incredibly well written especially when it came to his internal dialogue with all the thoughts he had and all the emotions he had whilst dealing with an incredibly stressful case.

If you love Detective & Murder Mysteries along side Crime Fiction then this is certainly a book for you! It is set within the winter at Christmas time with snowy weather. I must admit it did make me laugh when I have read this book in the sun and warmth but it has made me so excited for the winter and dark evenings so that I can catch up with the rest of the series curled in a blanket and join the Cumbria Police on another intense case!

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Having read previous novels by Alex Pine, I was looking forward to reading his new book and the welcome return of DCI James Walker. I enjoyed the character development of DCI Walker and his team’s characters. They feel like old friends. The plot and writing style was satisfying and keeps you reading. The location is Kirkby Abbey and Kendal in Cumbria and the descriptions are atmospheric. I can visualise the locations.

The murders of two retired police officers takes place on Christmas Eve. The victims are both known to DCI Walker and he and his team are determined to find the killer quickly. There are twists and turns throughout the plot. I love the interactions of DCI Walker’s team and their determination and loyalty to find the killer. With twists and turns on each page the story is captivating, enjoyable and I would recommend this novel.

I give a 3 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED READING COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This is book four in the series and is just as good as the first, great characters and a strong story, I look forward to the next one.